Choosing a New Diet Plan can be Confusing

Remember that I told you that most diet plans work (except for wacko ones). But choosing the right one for you can be confusing. Lets just review some of the major ones by beginning to describe the types available.

Diet plans run the gamut from plans managed by elaborate dieting clinics run by established physicians to diet plans that advertise on sign posts at the freeway entrance promoting alternative medicines that they claim the medical establishment has been trying to hide from you. It's up to you to filter out the hype and settle on something reasonable for you.

Here are the types:

In addition to those diets that depend on portion control or reduction of certain food groups the other means to reduce food consumption are the use of:

1. Prescription only medicines
2. Over-the-counter medicines
3. Pre-packaged meals
4. Meal replacement drinks

All of these methods can point to users who have used their method and achieved dramatic weight loss.

Dieting is big business and lots of people out there are trying to attract the dieting public's dollars. While choosing can be confusing you need not fall for "Snake Oil Advertising". "Snake Oil Advertising" is an exaggerated claim that promises to help you lose an exorbitant amount of weight in a super-short period, often without effort. One lesson we should have from our early American pioneers is that snake oil salesmen who offered miracle cures were simply con men. The same goes for miraculous claims of quick and easy weight loss programs.

Judge this case for yourself. On April 27, 2000, USA Today reported that the makers of a weight-loss product settled deceptive advertising charges made against them by the FTC for $10 million. USA Today reported that the makers of this product, "...used false claims about scientific testing to promote its product"... The makers agreed ... to settle deceptive advertising charges". (At the time) The FTC said, this is the largest settlement involving a weight-loss product or program". (While not admitting that any laws were broken).. "it (the company) is barred from making future deceptive claims about its products or scientific research.

The FTC takes action against those who use false and deceptive claims but they don't catch them all. Don't fall for exaggerated claims of, "Snake Oil", type products. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Later this week I will post the three basic categories of most standard diets.

Keep recruiting for our one-in-a-million diet challenge to lose at least one pound from Jan. 1, to Jan 21. We need one million dieters to take up this challenge. Forward our blog address to everyone on all you email lists so we can reach our million dieter goal.

BrownBagDiet.blogspot.com

Good luck and happy holidays,

Erwin Posner, R.Ph.